


a string that pulled me (out of all the wrong arms)

by archivedjemily



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, Idiots in Love, Kinda, Mutual Pining, SO, and a lil suprise at the end, but - Freeform, emily is unit chief, jj is just a badass, jj is remembering how they came to be, jj walks down memory lane, lots of memories and angsty times, them being idiots, they are in a relationship, they are in love, via emilys hairstyles over the years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26706517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archivedjemily/pseuds/archivedjemily
Summary: Emily falls asleep with her head on JJ's lap, and JJ can't help herself from running her fingers through Emily's hair, remembering all the times she had wished she could do this but couldn't.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 7
Kudos: 117





	a string that pulled me (out of all the wrong arms)

**Author's Note:**

> A walk down memory lane, a beautiful love story, two gals in love!

Sitting on the well-worn couch that rested along the window in Emily’s office, JJ was flipping through a case file. It was late, the BAU was empty, and the quiet was a welcome change from the hectic day they had just had. With one last signature she closed the file and let it drop on the floor next to her, letting herself relax back into the cushions slowly. 

Emily was asleep, her head resting on JJ’s lap, and the younger woman couldn’t stop her hands from carding gently through the silky strands falling across her legs. She was careful not to wake Emily, knew that the brunette had been running herself into the ground the last few months as Unit Chief, and this was a rare reprieve the woman probably wouldn’t allow herself again soon.

She shifted slightly, tilting her head so she could look at the woman in front of her. Sometimes she still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that they had made it here, to a place where they were together and happy, stronger as a pair than they had ever been apart, and she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from lifting slowly. 

Emily had always been beautiful, still somehow managed to take JJ’s breath away even after all this time, and the blonde figured she’d never get tired of being allowed to touch Emily like this- simple, teaching gentle paths along smooth skin and soft passes through silky hair. 

JJ softly twisted a handful of Emily’s hair, letting it dance through her fingers, and let herself remember all of the times she had wanted to do this but couldn’t. 

The first time she had ever seen Emily was when the older agent had come in for training, and JJ had known then that she was in trouble. Emily had walked in, all bright smiles and eager eyes, and JJ had felt a rush of something new and foreign spread through her entire being when the brunette had walked in. 

She’d never forget how Emily looked that day- a crisp blue button up tucked into a tight skirt that showed off an incredible figure for someone who she had thought to have come from a desk job. Emily’s hair had fallen right at her shoulders, silky and straight with one side struggling to stay tucked behind an ear. 

The overwhelming urge to reach out and push it back into place had clouded JJ’s mind as they moved through introductions and idle small talk. She wasn’t a stranger to her own attraction to women, and had always assumed she left that stage of life back in college- but Emily was magnetic. 

It had just been the two of them, the day more informal than usual for a training session, and JJ hadn’t been able to stop herself from getting distracted by the other woman. She’d been enamored with Emily from the start, and looking back now JJ couldn’t help but laugh at the way she’d brushed her attraction aside and convinced herself her ever present awe of the other woman had been strictly professional. 

A few months later in a dim, packed bar, JJ recalled the way that Emily had shown up with soft curls in her hair- a new look that left JJ stammering for a few seconds when they met up outside. Emily had looked older that night, her black dress clinging to her in a way her professional attire never had, and JJ had  _ definitely _ noticed. 

She had still been trying to figure out the enigma of Emily Prentiss- and she remembered the way she couldn’t keep her eyes from following the older woman as she made her way to get them all drinks. JJ had watched her flirt with a random man from across the room, talking idly with Penelope and trying to mask the flair of jealousy that was coursing through her at the time. 

She’d failed miserably, Penelope giving her a knowing smile as her own face had scrunched into a frown when Emily headed back towards them with the man in tow. Thinking back now, that interaction had been one of the first times JJ had seen a carefree and sensual Emily, so different from the buttoned-up and professional version she had gotten used to at work, and she liked it. 

Throwing a wink at Emily, she had surprised even herself with her own contributions to the conversation with their new “FBI Agent” friend, and had been disappointed when their night had been cut short. The next night, in a shared hotel room on the other side of the country, she remembered a feeling of disappointment when Emily had washed her curls away, finding herself staring a few seconds too long when the older woman had come out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. 

They’d found themselves slipping into an easy and natural friendship, the two of them becoming almost inseparable over the next few months. Emily spent more nights in JJ’s home than she did her own, both of them using the excuse that Emily’s DC apartment was  _ just  _ far enough to not be worth a drive late at night. 

Piled on JJ’s couch one day with a made-for-TV movie playing, Emily had randomly stated that she wanted to get bangs. JJ had laughed, not sure what had spurred the declaration, and told Emily that she would look great with any hairstyle. 

“I just need a change,” Emily had said simply, the shrug in her shoulder and tone of voice telling JJ there might have been more to it than that. 

They’d dropped the conversation there, and Emily had spent the next hour or so lost in her own mind, and JJ remembered asking Emily later that night if she was really okay. Emily had shared more about her childhood, the constant moving around and changes that had been the only normal she had ever known, and JJ had started to understand. 

This new family, the chosen family that they were surrounded with, was new to Emily, and the depth of her attachment to them scared her. JJ had listened intently, letting Emily’s word fill gaps in the partial picture of who she knew the older woman to be and it all seemed to make more sense after that. 

“We want you here, Emily,” JJ had said softly, putting extra effort into making sure the sincerity in her voice was heard, “so please don’t make any crazy decisions alone.” 

It had earned her a genuine smile from Emily, and sensing that the conversation had been serious for far too long, she cheekily added  _ “you would look hot with bangs though,” _ and a rush of  _ something  _ had shot through her when Emily’s jaw dropped a little bit, her own slightly nervous laughter filling the space between them. 

JJ had been right, Emily did look hot with bangs, and she couldn’t count the amount of times she had come up with excuses to touch the older woman after that. 

  
They’d been on the jet a few weeks after Emily had gotten her hair cut, and were leaving a particularly rough case behind them. Piled onto the surprisingly soft couch in the corner of the plane, Emily’s head had slowly migrated to JJ’s shoulder, her whole body relaxed in the most restful sleep she’d had in a few days. 

JJ’s arm had been tingling from where Emily was laying, and she softly shifted both of their bodies until Emily’s head was laying gently in her lap. Looking down, she allowed herself the freedom to commit every slope and smooth surface of Emily’s face to memory. 

She had let her finger gently swipe at the mess of bangs that were hanging down over Emily’s eyes and revelled in the way the older woman seemed to lean in to her touch. They had been growing closer, their conversations getting deeper and looks more meaningful than before, but JJ was still unsure where they stood. 

At the time, JJ had still been dating Will, and looking back now it was easy to see that she was looking for any type of stability and certainty to hold on to. Even the thought of her feelings for Emily had sent her mind reeling, the depth of her emotions so much more than she was ready to deal with at the time. 

They’d settled into an easy routine of an even deeper familiarity and closeness after that in spite of the turmoil JJ now knew had been stirring in both of them- their worlds becoming inextricably linked as time passed. 

She’d never forget the way Emily had held her close when she had showed up at her door after ending things with Will. She’d let herself be pulled onto the couch and buried her face into Emily’s shoulder, the familiar smell of the brunette’s shampoo grounding her to the moment. 

She hadn’t been that upset, the breakup had been a long time coming, but her whole life had been turned upside down in the last few months with her transfer to the state department. 

Emily had been her only constant in all of the change and turmoil, and she spent that night sitting awake in the older woman’s bed, stroking short, choppy bangs out of Emily’s face and praying to whatever deity that would listen that no matter what changed she would always have this.

JJ had left reluctantly soon after that, spending months in the middle east until the call had come that Emily was in trouble. She could vividly recall the way Emily had looked when she’d walked into her hospital room, her breath had caught and every sob she had been trying her best to keep inside had overflowed the second she saw her. 

  
Her dark hair was a mess on the stark white hospital sheets, tubes and wires hanging off of her in every direction, and JJ could remember the way Emily’s usually silky hair had been matted with blood and dirt, a tangible picture of what she had gone through. 

Later that night, after the team had been notified of Emily’s ‘death’, JJ had made the trip back to Emily and asked the nurses for a wet washcloth and comb, and had spent an hour gently ridding the older woman of any physical reminder of the last few days. 

She’d moved through the next few days on autopilot, and when they’d landed in Paris and checked into their hotel, she couldn’t stop herself from pulling her suitcase into Emily’s room and making her intentions of staying very clear. 

They’d spent the night awake, admitting feelings and shedding tears of time that they had lost. If JJ closed her eyes, she could still feel what it felt like when Emily’s lips pressed against her own for the first time, and the way Emily’s hair had felt when she’d threaded her fingers into silky strands to keep her close. 

When Emily had woken JJ up the next morning with a pair of scissors in hand, both of them couldn’t help but recall the first time a conversation about haircuts had come up, back when Emily had needed a big change and bangs had seemed like a reasonable compromise. 

Wanting to rid herself of anything that reminded her of what had happened, she had been stoic and still as JJ had cut her hair into a long bob, her dark hair falling just above her shoulders. They’d slipped into a new intimacy after that, no longer scared of giving into their overwhelming need to touch and caress and hold, and they’d spent the holed up in Emily’s hotel room- savoring every moment they had together. 

Everything and nothing had changed after that, they’d somehow made it through ten weeks apart, and when Emily had come back it was like every broken piece of their lives had finally fallen into place. 

That had been years ago, and looking at it all now, JJ couldn’t remember what it was like to not love, and be loved by Emily Prentiss. The life they had built together was beautiful and strong- their home full of memories, good and hard, that neither would trade for the world. 

JJ was broken out of her thoughts by a soft hum out of the woman on her lap, a sleepy smile spreading onto Emily’s mouth as she turned her head to look up and JJ. Their eyes met, and seeing the misty look in JJ’s, Emily asked her what was wrong. 

JJ didn’t answer, instead leaning down to press a soft kiss to Emily’s mouth, lingering for a second before sitting back up. Emily, still groggy from her impromptu nap, rolled her face further towards JJ, only stopping when her nose reached the firm bump that was now an obvious sign of the life that was growing in there. 

She smiled against JJ’s shirt, pressing a kiss against the swell underneath before slowly standing and holding her hand out to help JJ up. Pulling the blonde closer to her, Emily felt JJ burrow her nose into the hair that fell over her shoulder- a habit of JJ’s that always made Emily smile. 

“I love you,” Emily felt JJ whisper into the slope of her neck, pressing a soft kiss there before tangling their fingers together and stepping back, pulling Emily out of the office.

Stepping into the elevator, Emily pulled JJ into her side, relishing in the closeness that they shared, and the look she saw in JJ’s eyes told her she was feeling the same- their story had been a great one so far, and neither of them took for granted the fact that it was about to get even better. 

**Author's Note:**

> so, ya!
> 
> i love them and i love you okay


End file.
